The Rev'd Ross Bliss

Ross Bliss (he/him) came to us in 2019 from Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver. Prior to that, he spent many years in library management, partly as a way of supporting his avocation, which is jazz guitar.

Here at the Cathedral, Ross serves as our full-time vicar. In this capacity, he bears key responsibility for ministry to those who see Christ Church Cathedral as their “parish church.” This work generally falls under five headings:

Pastoral Care
This is the ministry of compassion to individuals in need, including those who “drop in” to the cathedral offices looking for a priest. In addition, Ross is the staff coordinator and guide for our lay pastoral ministers, such as our friendly visitors, our healing ministers, and those who assist with services at local care facilities. He is also the first point of contact for baptisms, weddings and funerals.

Worship
Ross works closely with the Dean and staff to plan Sunday and special liturgies, and he is usually the one who provides the first draft of a service for review. He is also responsible for assigning clergy and officiants for 17 liturgies a week – a task with more moving parts than a toddler!

 
Mission and Outreach
The Vicar works with and alongside our Deacon to the City to ensure that the Cathedral is engaged in mending God’s world, and not merely taking care of its own sorrows and interests.

Adult Faith Formation
Ross also ensures that there is a robust program of adult faith formation, meeting the needs of seekers, the well-versed, and skeptics alike.

Growth
Ross is also charged with seizing opportunities for congregational growth – especially amongst communities that are under-represented at the Cathedral – younger adults, men, indigenous people, people of colour, people with disabilities, the LGBTQ2SI community, and so on…

But in some sense, more than all of this, Ross Bliss is amongst us a priest – a man of prayer and wisdom to whom we may turn in our spiritual journeying.